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... you seem to be confusing the term "flashback" with basic character introspection on previous events. This introspection is just basic competence in writing three-dimensional characters.

I am using "flashback" as a general term for either flashbacks as we all know them, "remember when" conversations, or character introspection where they "remember when" to themselves. A dash of that is fine... 2/3rds of the first half of the novel is excessive. More in the latter half is abusive.

My point is, I want NEW plot, not a rehash of old plot. I essentially paid for a summary of novels past, plus a short story about ancient Bajoran resistance movement, a description of DS9 mkII, and a teaser for the next novel.

... you seem to be confusing the term "flashback" with basic character introspection on previous events. This introspection is just basic competence in writing three-dimensional characters.

I am using "flashback" as a general term for either flashbacks as we all know them, "remember when" conversations, or character introspection where they "remember when" to themselves.

Then you are using the term inaccurately.

A dash of that is fine... 2/3rds of the first half of the novel is excessive. More in the latter half is abusive.

My point is, I want NEW plot, not a rehash of old plot.

This was a new plot, but, again, DRGIII's books are primarily about character introspection before plot. What this boils down to is that that doesn't work for you -- which is fine, but it does work very well for others. I was very happy with the levels of character introspection in this book; it's an aspect of the novel format that you can't get on TV.

This was a new plot, but, again, DRGIII's books are primarily about character introspection before plot. What this boils down to is that that doesn't work for you -- which is fine, but it does work very well for others. I was very happy with the levels of character introspection in this book; it's an aspect of the novel format that you can't get on TV.

I'm misusing the term the same way you're misusing the term 'plot' as it relates to introspection on previous events.

I voted this books story outstanding. I really enjoyed this book and the suprising twists and turns at the end of the book

was the vision of Kira and Siskos's daughter talking about Ben Sisko's path has changed from a road of Sorrow to anew path and that time is a continuum and that Ben Sisko needs to be warned about some kind of danger. I certainly didn't expect Altek Das to appear on Deepspace 9 and sent by the wormhole aliens or for Kira to appear on a ship with traan'tor either. I also wonder who killed Nan bacco and how they're going to unravel the who the killer is in the upcoming books.

I certainly can't wait to read the next 4 books coming out in the next few months!

I'd stayed away from this thread until I was done with the book, common sense and all, and i just finished it last night. I voted above average, but would have voted for something higher if there was a level between Above Average and Outstanding. I'm a big DRG3 fan, but this wasn't my favorite of his works (Serpents Among the Ruins still holds the title ).

I thought it was a great character piece. At first I didn't really dig the Keev parts, but they really grew on me. I could piture the surroundings and the people and the small pay-off at the end was cool. I can't wait for the next four books in this run, and i'm curious how they'll all tie together.

I remember when i was reading a description of the whole event. It said the all five books take place over a 60 day span. This book was only a week and a bit, so we have plenty more to read about.

I'll miss Nan . She was one of my favorite ongoing lit-only characters, and her absence will be felt deeply. I felt especially bad for Leonard Akaar, especially after reading about how he truly felt about their friendship.

I think DRG3 did a superb job and can't wait to see where the narrative goes next, even if he's not the one to write it. DS9 FOREVER!

Rather, when Star Trek Online was created in 2009-10, its creators deliberately chose to contradict the direction the novels had already been going in for years. It borrowed some ideas and characters from the novels, like Titan and President Bacco, but it disregarded most of the DS9 post-finale series, the events of Destiny and the surrounding books, the novels' prior portrayals of races like Species 8472, and so on. STO chose to be a separate continuity from the start, and it and the novels have both been charting their own independent courses.

Fair enough. I wasn't entirely sure where the difference in courses had started. Do kinda note that they do seem to take an inordinate delight in doing everything in the reverse of how you seem to flesh out a lot of "seldom seen" species, ranging from 8472 in Places of Exile, to the difference between the "Elachi" and your portrayal of the aliens in A Choice of Futures. (Plus the crystalline entity and some other things I'm sure I'm forgetting)

While I can see some of it being necessary from the standpoint of making a video game (and I enjoyed it for a long while) it's disappointing because a lot of the Star Trekiness is sacrificed on the altar of combat mechanics. I get the sense they'll be doing something similar with the Voth soon.

Christopher wrote:

^Yeah, STO has its own rather narrow set of priorities shaping how it develops its ideas. The books are able to be broader and more flexible, and don't have to interpret every race in terms of combat potential or whatever.

Actually I get the feeling Cryptic is going for a more TOS feel in Star Trek Online.

I mean the Federation and the Klingon Empire are back to mortal enemy status, the Romulans are back to being a minor power that can still screw up the Federation's day, the Terran Empire is back, one of the better cruisers in the game is the Soverign which at times came off as a Constitution-class update, one of their in planning STF's is supposed to be against a Khan expy (if it hasn't been scraped), heck originally in the tutorial one of the choices for your first bridge officer was a Vulcan science officer.

^Sure, but they've also included Species 8472 as a major player, introduced the aliens from ENT: "Silent Enemy" (and given them a name and language, which makes no sense for a species defined by their absolute silence), etc. They're drawing on elements from every part of the franchise, because they have a large, immersive universe to build and they need material. And naturally they draw heavily on TOS because it and TNG are the most enduringly popular parts of the franchise.

But their priority from a story standpoint is to foment conflict and war, because they've chosen to make this a fighting game. So the way they use the species and governments they introduce is about generating combat scenarios. Whereas when the novels use those same species or governments, we have the option to develop them in other ways.

Just finished, very good book. I enjoyed the Keev parts after a slow start (mostly because at first it just seemed to get in the way of the DS9 parts) but i'm not certain yet if Keev and the other Bajora really existed or not...

As for the President, well shes the lit character i like least so i won't miss her (to paraphrase Weyoun)

I do miss the old DS9 though, it was different... alien... dangerous. The new DS9 just sounds like a gaudy Dubai megahotel.

Just finished, very good book. I enjoyed the Keev parts after a slow start (mostly because at first it just seemed to get in the way of the DS9 parts) but i'm not certain yet if Keev and the other Bajora really existed or not...

In DTI: Watching The Clock, Commander Juel Duncan traveled back to December 2381, to stop the assassination of Nan Bacco. He even doubled back on her timeline to have the double Bacco help him stop it. What was such a big deal in the following couple of years that Duncan had to come back and fix it if she was meant to die so soon afterward?

__________________"I excel at following the important ones." Admiral Kathryn Janeway answering Counselor Cambridge's questioning her whether she excels at following orders. Star Trek Voyager: Protectors by New York Times Bestselling authorKirsten "Mother F**ng" Beyer